It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Tea Party Roll Call Voting Record on Final Passage of the Patriot Act, 2-14-2011

On February 14, after a series of initial votes, members of the Tea Party in Congress had one last chance to reject Big Government surveillance programs, searches and seizures without probable cause — practices forbidden by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution they swore to uphold.

Tea Party members of Congress are identified here from membership in the Tea Party Caucus, endorsement by Tea Party Express or endorsement by “Tea Party HQ” FreedomWorks. How did Tea Party members of Congress actually vote on final passage of H.R. 514, reauthorizing provisions of the Patriot Act yet again?

The 122 Tea Party Members of Congress who voted FOR final passage of H.R. 514, reauthorizing the Patriot Act without reform, 2-14-11:

86% of Tea Party members of Congress supported renewing the Patriot Act without any reform.
13% of Tea Party members of Congress opposed the Patriot Act.
And two Tea Party members of Congress — Dan Burton and John Culberson — didn’t bother to show up for the vote.

Overall, 87.5% of Republicans voted for the Patriot Act — a percentage roughly the same as for Tea Party members (all of whom are Republican), suggesting that the “Tea Party” in Congress doesn’t have an approach to the Patriot Act that’s distinct from the approach of the Republican Party.

If this a sign that the Tea Party in Congress supports the Constitution, I am Princess Margaret.
If someone tells you that the Tea Party has been responsible for opposition to the Patriot Act, send them this information.

19 comments to Tea Party Roll Call Voting Record on Final Passage of the Patriot Act, 2-14-2011

Overall, 87.5% of Republicans voted for the Patriot Act — a percentage roughly the same as for the Tea Party, suggesting that these Tea Party members of Congress don’t have a different inclination toward the Patriot Act than the Republican Party does.

“Well, Obama is for it, and the Tea Party against so it’s a bit tricky. It is so shameful that the Tea Party people managed to make this is an issue in their first month in office, and to block the fast track, while the progressives have been unable to do anything about it for 10 years. When will those disaffected by the political process and angry at Washington finally unite, instead of letting ourselves be divided and absorbed into the Two Party system?”

Never mind that over a hundred progressive Democrats voted against it, and have been voting in similar numbers against “it for 10 years.” The problem is not the voting of the progressive Democrats. The problem is that conservative Democrats and Republicans in and out of the Tea Party have not been joining the progressive Democrats in greater numbers.

@Jim (above): Probably because the BIG MONEY is behind the ignorant Tea Partiers and Republishams. Progressive politics always gets short shrift in this country because nobody wants to fund the “common good.” The trouble with that is that the T-P and R people are always showing us pictures of “welfare queens” and the like when the real by-products of this are things like roads and infrastructure maintenance that affect everyone. Also the corporations (with giant lobbying firms representing them) get special TAX BREAKS and SUBSIDIES that the rest of us don’t get. So when they start debating on the cuts they HAVE to make to reduce the deficit, it’s always with the (biggest takers of tax money)special interest groups, large corporations and big businesses, and the very wealthy OFF THE TABLE of discussion, like they’re somehow “sacred cows.”

I live in a small county, and in 2008 started participating in the political process. The plan was to get Ron Paul nominated. After going to the precinct caucus I went to the County Convention and was talking about ending the entanglements abroad, that the US was broke, and someone in the crowd yelled out “communist”. The Chairman just sat there on his hands. The local demographics are HS educated, high unemployment, and support the troops. It’s been a long process but the County party is now split just about 50/50 for anti-war/end patriot act/end torture vs the neocon crowd. Still the Grand Ole Party still has a death grip on most of the main issues and are supported fiercely by the die hard repubs. I think people are waking up but will it be soon enough? On the positive Independents now out number the Dems and Repubs and could be a threat to the two party system.

The real money has been stolen from the people. The MSM now has us fighting over the bones and table scraps. Remember on 9/10 when Rumsfield declared that the Pentagon was unable to account for 2 point something trillion? I’ve heard a few accounts that state the amount was closer to 6-7 trillion. Next day 9/11 the whatever hit the pentagon just happen to hit in the exact area where the computers containing the unaccounted $’s were located. Trillions have been stolen from the people – and now they put on this dog and pony show for the unwashed masses getting us to fight over whether to cut 60 billion and raise our taxes.

To David C. Do you really believe that blowing up a piece of the Pentagon was necessary for the cover up that you claim? Nothing was blown up to cover up the Kennedy or King assassinations. These people are more cleaver and creative. I would also submit that a less noticeable approach would be preferred. Nothing was blown up to cover up the hundreds of stories that this government wants to keep secret. I am as suspicious as the next, but don’t you think this is a stretch?

this is NO evidence that the tea party does not have a definitive stand against the patriot act and other unconsittutional legislation. what this IS evidence of, is the fact thata huge number of republicans falsely claimed to support the constitution in order to cash in on the tea party’s momentum and gain office, then turned their backs on the tea party’s principles once in office and continued on the neoconservative agenda as usual.

In the article I refer to specific lists of information that tie each member of Congress to Tea Party infrastructure. Follow the links to find reference to these lists. You might not like it, but these members of Congress reaped specific benefit from association with Tea Party organizations during the campaign season of 2010.

Ok, the original Tea Party member, Ron Paul, is not even listed. The Tea Party, for the most part, has been co-opted by the neocon element of the Republican Party. Newt couldn’t be an original member, and neither could Sarah Palin. Heck, with the list above, altho a senator, even McCain could be considered a Tea Partier! Ron Paul 2012!

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